After two disappointing losses, the Lakers looked to bounce back at home versus the new look Pistons. With the Lakers not having lost 3 straight games since the arrival of Pau Gasol, it would seem that the pressure was on. How would this championship team respond, already down key players to injury? Although it is early in the season, it’s not too early to see if this team can respond to some adversity- let’s see how they faired.
First Quarter: LAL 23 – DET 21
The Lakers won the opening tip- what a shock considering Andrew was jumping against Kwame Brown. On the first possession the Lakers looked inside to Bynum on a lob, but the pass was errant and the first turnover of the game was notched. This trend of turning the ball over continued throughout the early first quarter and really didn’t subside until the late run. The main focus was to get the ball inside, and it was nice to see the team continually feeding the post, even if Andrew wasn’t converting. The Lakers ended the quarter on a nice run (9-1) which included some nice plays from Shannon Brown (nice three on the fast break, good defensive rebound) and some more enthusiastic defense.
First Quarter Notes/Highlights:
• Poor free throw shooting early was killer (started 1-4)
• Kobe: started slow but finished strong with three straight jumpers out of the post and two made free throws.
Second Quarter: LAL 57 – DET 42
Kobe sat as usual to open the second, and the Lakers turned to the reserves, hoping that the likes of Farmar and Powell could spark some offense. Right away you could see the defensive intensity increase and the tempo pick up. Farmar was obviously looking to initiate the offense and I have to say I think he played great. He wasn’t settling for the three and was continually looking to penetrate and push the ball. This burst of offense helped spark a nice spurt that saw the Lakers go up by as much as 15. Aside from the play of Farmar, Kobe really stepped up his game coming into the second quarter. What started as an abysmal shooting start ended in a 9-15 half, with 21 points total. Impressive considering the injury he’s playing with! The second quarter ended much like the first with the Lakers pushing the ball and getting easy baskets… we as fans want to see more of the uptempo team!
Second Quarter Notes/Highlights:
• Kobe: I’m not sure what happened (maybe the Pistons were talking some trash), but he really heated up and seemed to have a new hunger after the first quarter. It was as if a completely new player came into the game!
• Shanon Brown/Farmar: At some point Phil is going to have to figure out how to use these players. Both of them have had great starts to the season and deserve some more minutes. I know it’s early, but I have yet to see the play I’m looking for from D-fish, but feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.
Third Quarter: LAL 88 – DET 63
The hot shooting from the second quarter carried over into the third and the Lakers were able to blow the game wide open. With Ben Gordon attempting to guard Kobe one on one, the Lakers were able to systematically pick apart the Pistons defense. An early 9-0 run over the first six minutes extended the halftime lead and kept the Pistons from establishing any momentum or rhythm. The Lakers finished the quarter with a heft lead that had at one point been as large as 28- this was a great sign. After the putrid second halves in the last few games, it was great to see the intensity after the break in this game. The real key: can this become a consistent post-halftime effort?
Third Quarter Notes/Highlights:
• The Play: Kobe had a ridiculous reverse layup – Please believe that I’ve uploaded it into the post. I love these kind of circus plays… very “mamba like”
• Defense: The real key to this quarter was the increased intensity on defense. The Lakers really got after the Pistons and disrupted everything they were trying to do on offense.
Fourth Quarter: LAL 106 – DET 93
The Pistons came out with some renewed energy and effort in the fourth and were able to cut the lead to 13 with about 7 minutes left in the quarter. Bad offensive shot selection (1-11 to start) and hot shooting contributed to the slashing of the huge lead, but really once Kobe gets going, it’s hard for the rest of the team to pick it up once he hits the bench. Kobe sat to start the fourth and the sluggish start was a direct result of that. His play in the post creates the opportunities for the rest of the team on a night-in and night-out basis. Once Kobe was reinserted into the game the lead was blown back up to 17 and the ship was righted.
Fourth Quarter Notes/Highlights:
• Physical Play: Although most of the quarter was garbage time, there was some definite smack and physical play throughout. Shannon Brown attempted a ridiculous dunk that was sent back by Jason Maxiell – who immediately started with the verbal abuse. On the following play Maxiell got into it with Bynum and they had to be separated at mid-court. Gotta love it!
Final Thoughts:
This was a nice win for the Lakers against a shorthanded Pistons team, but you hate to see Kobe work so hard for an early season win. Regardless, the Lakers have to keep pace with the red-hot suns.
Oh, and Kobe got 40 points for the 100th time in his ridiculous career.
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